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Arabella

Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A Beloved Classic from the Queen of the Regency Romance

A fiery debutante. An ill-tempered bachelor. A romance for the ages.

Arabella, the daughter of an impoverished country parson, dreams of a new life in London. But her beauty and charm will only get her so far - and when Arabella embarks on her first London season armed with nothing but a benevolent godmother and her own notoriously short temper, she quickly runs afoul of Robert Beaumaris.

He's the most eligible bachelor of the day, with a personality as strong and combative as hers - and Arabella cannot abide him thinking of her as just another pretty girl after his wealth. So she allows herself to be provoked into a game of deception - one that could have unexpected consequences....

Arabella is a rich, dashing romance from Georgette Heyer, the legendary creator of the beloved Regency romance genre.

©1949 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Fiction

Critic reviews

"A wonderful wit.... I've read her over and over and over again." (Stephen Fry)

"Triumphantly good.... Georgette Heyer is unbeatable." (India Knight)

All stars
Most relevant
My favourite Georgette Heyer book, read in many ways beautifully but with some really poor pronunciation of some words. The mispronunciation of Mr Beaumaris surname at times made it painful to listen to, such a shame.

Poor pronunciation

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Full of Miss Heyer’s erudite humour and a most enjoyable listen. Gemma Whelan does an effective and entertaining account of the story, characters and accents. Well done!

A charming tale

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One of Ms Heyer’s lighter novels which is absolutely charming. The story is gentle but has enough twists and turns to keep your interest. Arabella is a very likeable heroine. I love the dog Ulysses and how Mr Beaumaris anthropomorphically converses with him. I also absolutely loved this performance. Ms Whelan captures the tone of the book perfectly. I had to get used to the French pronunciation of Mr Beaumaris’ name, as I had always read it with a hard ‘s’ but that didn’t take away from the pleasure of the performance. I would definitely listen to a book read by this narrator again. Definitely worth your time buying!

Fabulous version of a great novel

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This was a very enjoyable narration of Arabella. The plot was a stretch at times but it was a classic Georgette Heyer romp.

Lovely!

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Once again Gemma Whelan has brought her considerable talent as a narrator to a Georgette Heyer novel. Her clear diction, lively reading pace and understanding of the novel’s many characters combine to offer the listener a totally delightful experience. I would love to hear her narrate Bath Tangle and Black Sheep, two of my favourite Heyer novels!!

Regency Charm

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